The Cerebrovascular Engineering Research Group (CERG)

The formation of this group formalises research collaborations between the Departments of Neurosurgery and Interventional Radiology at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and the Engineering Departments at the University of Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology. We welcome enquiries from University students (medical or otherwise) and junior doctors regarding involvement in the many on-going projects listed below.

Clinical Lead:  Dr Craig Winter, Senior Staff Specialist, Kenneth Jamieson Department of Neurosurgery. Consultant neurosurgeon with a clinical and academic interest in all aspects of aneurysm management: eg prediction of rupture, operative treatment, 3D modelling and intra-aneurysmal flow dynamics.

Interventional Neuroradiology: Prof Alan Coulthard, Professor of Neuroradiology, UQ, Research Director and Interventional Neuroradiologist, Dept of Medical Imaging, RBWH. Cerebrovascular research interests include endovascular aneurysm treatment procedures, including anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy, factors influencing selection for treatment and outcomes/complications of treatment.

Associate researchers: Dr Kate Mahady, Dr Ken Mitchell, Dr Grace Aw: experienced Interventional Neuroradiologists, RBWH, specialising in the endovascular treatment of brain aneurysms.

Associate Researchers:

• Dr EeShern Liang, Department of Radiology, RBWH.
• Dr Liam McLachlan, Research Coordinator, Department of Neurosurgery, RBWH.

Queensland University of Technology: Prof Zhiyong Li, Professor in Biomedical Engineering at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Honorary Professor at University of Queensland. Zhiyong’s main research field is biomechanics and mechanobiology, developing novel technologies to quantify blood flow and vessel characteristics to better prevent stroke and heart attack. His expertise includes medical imaging and image analysis, computational fluid dynamics, mathematical modelling and numerical methods.

Associate Researcher: Dr Phani Paritala.

Collaborative projects:

• Calculating intra-aneurysmal Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with aneurysms using CTA, MRA and DSA and correlating with intra-operative photographs depicting thin-walled regions (TWR).
• Investigating the inter-observer reproducibility of CFD calculations.
• The correlation of changing CFD parameters in brain aneurysms that alter in size or morphology over time.
• High resolution vessel wall imaging in ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

University of Queensland: Dr Mark Allenby, Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering who leads the Biomimetic Systems Engineering Laboratory.

Associate Researcher: Mr Mitchell Johnson

Collaborative projects:

• Formation of a repository of cranial medical images
• Program improved image processing methods to better detect aneurysms (e.g. using machine learning).
• Mathematically predict which aneurysm shapes, locations, and sizes are predictive of future rupture
• To engineer physical models of aneurysms (3D printing, silicone moulding) which can incorporate fluid perfusion and cell culture to provide biomechanical predictions of aneurysm progression and treatment.